Disjointed thoughts about this weekend's new movies

When in Rome:

*I'm not part of the Veronica Mars cult that has to pretend this is anything but crap, so I'm not gonna make the effort.

*Kristen Bell is a pleasant enough actress, but I don't see her as a movie star. But if this goofy romantic comedy works out, well, good for her.

*I must confess I'm predisposed to loathe this movie. Mrs. Shark and I were catching up with "Desperate Housewives" on demand last week, and the ABC shows on the FIOS system do not allow fast-forwarding. So during each and every ad break, we endured the same promo for "When in Rome." Granted, it was more appealing than that "Wild Dogs" preview we suffered through a few months back, but it was enough to make us fed up with the film before it even hit theaters.

Edge of Darkness:

*I believe this is based on a British TV miniseries. Anyone want to bet that the movie is better? Nobody wants to take that bet? Yeah, me, neither.

*Mel Gibson is BACK for the first time in 7 years. But who really missed him? H's still been around as a personality. I do think he's too big a star to not act for 7 years, but I can't say I've been pining for his on-screen return.

St. John's in Vegas:

*Speaking of guys who haven't been around, where the heck has Steve Buscemi been? I know he's done some TV, but still.

*It seems odd that a guy goes from being in every other movie in the nineties to hardly any movies in the oughts.

*I really don't know anything about this other than that it stars Buscemi, but isn't that enough?

44-Inch Chest:

*It's a British gangster movie. I imagine the title is supposed to be cheeky. Or bosomy. Well, you know what I mean.

*Another under-the-radar release, but look at the cast: Tom Wilkinson, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Ian McShane. How can this not be worth a look?